One or more embodiments of the invention relate generally to bandwidth management, including, for example, to methods and apparatus for media signal management within a media over internet protocol (MoIP) network based on a session description.
Voice telecommunications have historically been conducted via dedicated telephone networks using telephone switching offices and either wired or wireless connections for transmitting the voice signals between users' telephones. Such telecommunications, which can use the public switched telephone network (PSTN), can be referred to as circuit-committed communications. Because of the circuit-based nature of the PSTN, the bandwidth of a connection often depends on the capacity of the circuits that make up the connection.
MoIP, also referred to as session over internet protocol (SoIP), provides an alternative communication system that uses discrete internet protocol (IP) packets of digitized information to transmit media content such as voice content, video content and/or data, over the internet or within an intranet via wired and/or wireless connections. MoIP technology includes voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology, which is used primarily to transmit voice signals over an IP network. Known MoIP communication system components do not provide bandwidth management of media signals. Thus, a need exists for methods and apparatus for media signal management within a MoIP network based on a session description.